Across The Lines
by Song Of A Free Heart
Summary: ROYAL AU - Relations between the four kingdoms have always been less than ideal, but they have only gotten worse since Spring's princess was kidnapped. Just as the cold season hits, the younger of the Winter princes stumbles onto a girl hiding in a cave. She may be the hope for peace - and she'll definitely change Jack's life.
1. Prologue

**Months ago on tumblr there was a post talking about what if our hearts start glowing when we meet our soul mates. And, somehow, this was born. **

**And, since I know people are going to ask: Nightlight and Ombric are from the **_**Guardians of Childhood**_** books by William Joyce. **

**Standard disclaimers apply. I'm not really in a mood for author's notes today, so just enjoy the show!**

_Across The Lines_

By Song Of A Free Heart

Prologue

The Winter Palace, nestled between two mountains at the heart of the kingdom, was built entirely of shimmering, silver-white Lunar Stone. The ground were surrounded by ancient evergreen trees that grew right up to the fortified walls. Firs, pines, and spruces, and a few birches that grew, and managed to bloom in the brief months that passed as Winter's warm season – but most of the year they were bare branched. Turrets rose proudly towards a sky that, at this time of year – was almost always grey and heavy. The only color in the landscape was the dark green of the trees, but even that was usually obscured by white snow piled up on the branches.

It was a rather miserable landscape. One that would only improve so much once the cold season passed. (Winter was rarely anything _but_ cold, but someone had still decided to divide the year into a cold and a warm season.)

The guards called out the all clear as they recognized the crown prince riding towards them. The gate was opened just as he and his retinue of guards reached it.

A stable hand met them at the massive doors that lead into the main building of the palace complex. The young man took the reins with a bow as the crown prince dismounted, nodding his thanks as he headed for the doors, which were already being pulled open for him.

Stepping inside the palace, after the dreary grey outside, was a lesson in contrasts.

Nightlight took a deep breath of the warm air as he stepped inside, pulling off his fur lined gloves. He inhaled the familiar scent of cinnamon and evergreen that permeated the palace, and told him that he was home.

Unlike outside, the palace interior was a world of color. Nightlight was used to it, having been raised in the palace. But he still had to blink at the sudden brightness. The walls were simple white, but they could hardly be seen behind the silk banners dyed deep shades of scarlet, violet, golden yellow and royal blue.

From the ceiling, more than two stories above his head, hung a massive crystal chandelier, light reflecting off the stone facets. To his right, brilliant yellow orange flames danced in the large fireplace, lending the room both light and warmth.

The warmth made him all the more aware of just how cold his nose and cheeks were.

The entryway was opulent, to be sure. But familiarity had a way of making even the most magnificent sights mundane.

As did exhaustion.

Nightlight didn't pay attention to any of it as he made his way to the staircase that would take him to the royal wing.

The border dispute with Spring had been standard. Nothing Nightlight hadn't already handled a hundred odd times before. But tensions ran higher with every year that the Lost Princess wasn't found. Between the negotiations, and racing to get home before the oncoming storm, he needed rest. Preferably before anyone realized he was back.

He was on the second floor landing, turning up towards the third, when the question came.

"Where is your brother?"

_So close,_ Nightlight thought, sighing as he looked at the old man who had just come through the hallway mouth.

It was almost cute how people kept asking the question. As if the answer this time would be different from the last ten thousand or so times they had asked. And Consul Ombric was usually the one asking. (He was also probably part of the reason why the question needed to be asked so often. He knew his brother wasn't exactly fond of the Consul's lectures.)

It was as though they were trying to forget his brother's personality.

Nightlight pulled loose the tie that held his cloak shut around his throat, shrugging out of the fur line garment. "There was a rumor about bandits on the south road. He may have gone to look into it."

When Jack had been born, Nightlight had been bold that it was his responsibility to help looked after his younger brother. A responsibility he had taken seriously… for all of about two years. About the time people regularly started asking where his brother was.

He had decided that he couldn't focus on his studies and constantly look out for his headstrong brother. And since his responsibility was impressed upon him even more than his responsibility to his brother, that was the one he had chosen as his priority.

He loved his brother. But Nightlight was under no illusions that he could tame Jack's wild side. And since most of what Jack did was for the good of the kingdom, he didn't see any point in trying.

Most people didn't see things that way, however.

"Your Highness, war with Spring and Summer looms on the horizon, and the cold season is setting it. Now is not the time for your brother to go wandering off on one of his reckless adventures.

The council seemed to think that lecturing Nightlight in jack's absence would some how make a difference. Normally he could tolerate it, but at the moment his patience was already pressed to the max.

"Consul, Jack has been doing this as long as he's been able to walk. He can take care of himself.

Or at least find a way to fake it. Not that Nightlight would betray his brother's secrets.

"Tell my parents I'll join them for dinner," he said, making it clear the conversation was over.

As he continued up the prayers, he said a prayer that his brother would stay safe.

Especially as he heard the wind howl outside.


	2. Chapter 1

**Considering the prologue was focus on a character from the books, with only hints of Jack's presence, I didn't expect there to be much response – but you guys totally blew me away! Thank you so much for supporting this story so quickly. **

**Okay, I have to admit: Maybe the prologue was totally unnecessary. But I enjoyed writing it so much, I just couldn't get rid of it! But now we're to Jack, and we should be staying with him and Rapunzel for the rest of the story. **

**Right now I'm on vacation from work, so I have free time to work on stories – but don't expect a new character every day. This is just while we get started. Now, on with the show!**

Chapter 1

This probably hadn't been his smartest idea, Jack decided, as the wind picked up around him. He tightened his grip on the branch above him to maintain his balance perched in the old birch tree.

Not that he had a reputation for intelligence. Quite the opposite, actually.

Resolving the border dispute with Spring had taken several hours of forced civility, and ignoring veiled comments from the Spring soldiers and officials. As well as needless nitpicking. Jack had been there strictly as Nightlight's moral support (who had decided that was a good job for him?), so he hadn't had to speak, but he had still been forced to listen to it all. Afterwards, he had needed space to clear his head.

Relations between Spring and Winter had never been especially friends. All the four kingdoms had some problem with each other. There was always some disagreement over something. But for the past sixteen years, when it came to Winter and Spring, every disagreement had boiled down to one thing.

Spring's Lost Princess. And the fact King Thomas still believed that his daughter had been taken into the Winter Woods.

Jack had been four at the time, so he hadn't understood why the whole palace was in an uproar. (Just that it meant people weren't paying much to him, which he both liked and disliked.) Someone had managed to make him understand what "missing princess" meant. But it hadn't been until he was older, and his tutors had covered the subject, that Jack had fully understood.

The Spring guards stations at the border reported that they had seen the kidnapper flee into the Winter Woods. So Thomas had threatened war if King Lunar hadn't cooperated with the search. For almost a year Spring soldiers had been allowed to cross the border with little restriction, and Winter soldiers had joined the search as well. Tensions had mounted between the two group, and Winter citizens complained about their treatment at the hand of the Spring soldiers.

Squabbles between the soldiers had not helped anything.

Jack had not helped by muttering, in King Thomas's presence, that they were making too big a deal over one girl. He had been five. Nothing a five year old said should be given much weight. But he got the impression that King Thomas has never forgiven him. Actually, he suspected a lot of people hadn't forgiven him.

Either way, Jack was tired of thinking about politics.

The sun was setting, and what passed as Winter's warm season was beating a hasty retreat south. Back to summer.

Papery bard peeled off the birch in tight scrolls, quivering in the wind that continued to pick up. Jack listened to the subtle changes of that wind. Changes in direction and strength. But there was no change in its promise of a blizzard.

The first storm of the cold season.

Once it hit, the kingdom would go into a state of near hibernation to survive. Neither Spring or Summer would attack until the worst of it had passed. Their own cold seasons would make it inadvisable. The war would be held off a few more months. Enough time to come up with another temporary situation.

For now, Jack had more important things to worry about.

The palace was a two day walk into the storm. Any towns he could get shelter in were out of reach.

Maybe someday he would learn to listen when instinct told him it was time to look for shelter. Instead, he always convinced himself there was plenty of time.

The blizzard was coming down from the north, darkening the sky with heavy clouds. His only chance was to head south. There was a cave that he could reach in about twenty minutes if he ran. And, unless someone else had been there in the past couple months, there should still be the split firewood he had left there last time. He couldn't remember if he had left any other supplies there, though he had plenty in his pack.

Jack clambered down the birch, grabbing his backpack, bow, quiver, and staff from where he had left them at the tree's base. He was very glad he hadn't hoisted the bow onto Nightlight when he had gone off on his own. Maybe he was getting a little smarter. It might not be his weapon of choice, but he had a feeling he would need it over the next couple days.

He ran lightly across the dew inches of snow already on the ground. Around him the wind continued to pick up, pressing at his back as it howled. The first dew flakes of snow began to appear in the air, pure white against swirling shades of grey.

This territory was familiar to him. He had been exploring it for as long as he had been able to get out on his own. He was familiar with where the ground rose and fell. Here he could leap off jutting rocks, and which ones were too high to do so.

He might have enjoyed this part a little too much. The thrill of running from something he knew he shouldn't challenge. Something so much more powerful than himself. But the rising heat in his lungs was better than sitting through another dull meeting with his father's council, or a lecture from Consul Ombric. He had endured enough of those all his life – but they had increased lately.

The blizzard hit.

He needed to stop fuming when he was running from a blizzard – that always made things worse as the storm responded to him.

The wind blew snowflakes in every direction, stinging his face as they hit, the cold nipping at his nose.

His legs were starting to burn in protest. Especially now the wind was no longer at his back.

Finally, exhausted, he saw the cluster of cedar trees that marked where the cave was. His foot slipped as the ground declined, but he grabbed a low hanging branch both to steady himself, and to help slow his momentum. Breathing heavily, he slid through the cave entrance.

Exhaling in relief, he shook his head to dislodge the snowflakes clinging to his hood and moved to push back the fabric.

Before he could, the sound of something slicing through the air gave him just enough time to duck.

"Woah!"

Whatever it was swung right through the air where his head had been a split second before.

The next time the weapon swung, he was prepared. He raised a hand to stop it, cringing as whatever it was smacked against his palm. In the same moment, he swept his staff in the direction of his attacker. Glowing blue frost spread across the gnarled wood, offering some illumination.

"Hey!" The voice was decidedly female, though she shied away from the light before he caught a glimpse of her face.

Something inside his chest shifted. He didn't know what, but it felt almost as though something clicked into place. But he didn't have time to think about it.

Instead, he flicked his eyes to whatever he was holding off with his other hand. It wasn't sharp, but it was heavy.

He laughed in disbelief.

"A frying pan?"

As soon as his hold on the cast iron relaxed, the girl jerked back, putting several feet between them.

"I- I'm not afraid of you," she said, though the tremor in her voice said otherwise.

Still, Jack gave her credit for trying. Stars knew he was an expert at faking it.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you," he said."

In the shadows of the cave, he saw her head shift slightly. Sizing him up?

"I just need somewhere to wait out the storm," he said, leaning his staff against the wall of the cave, hoping she would recognize that as a sign of peace. He took off his bow and quiver as well.

She hesitated. "Do you think it will last long?"

"Through the night, probably," he said. He waited a moment, but she didn't move or respond. "Do you mind if I start a fire? There should be some wood back there."

"There is," she said, stepping aside carefully.

He made sure to leave as much space between them as he stepped past her, further into the cave. There wasn't as much wood as he remembered, but there was enough to last through the night. Someone else had probably camped out in the cave at some point.

"Do you live here?" she asked.

Jack snickered. Sometimes he almost wished he did. "No, I just stay here some times."

He picked up a couple of the logs, and a handful of kindling.

"Can I help?" she asked, as he set them closer to the cave mouth, where he usually built a fire.

He didn't glance over as he skimmed his hands over the dirt ground in search of the stones he had stacked to the side. "Can you bring a couple more logs?"

He had found the stones and started to make a circle from them when she brought over three or four pieces of birch wood.

"Why do you stay here?" she asked, setting them with the others he had already brought over.

The corned of Jack's mouth twitched in a grin. Her voice wasn't too young – maybe a couple years younger than himself. But there was a child-like curiosity about her questions.

"Sometimes I camp out while I'm travelling," he said. "Or I come here when I need space. My home is half a day's ride north, so it's far enough, but close enough to get to." It was one of several places he used as retreats.

"Do you travel a lot?"

"Yeah."

He finished the stone circle, and reached for the kindling. Stacking it up, he opened the side pocket of his backpack where he kept his flint. A couple strikes with his knife sent sparks flying at the tinder. The kindling wasn't totally dry, having been left in the damp air of the cave, but it took to the sparks.

"Would you teach me how to do that?" she asked.

Jack glanced up from nursing the flames. "What? Start a fire?"

"I can start a fire," she said. "But I normally have matches."

There was enough light now for him to see her. A heart shaped face, framed with golden hair.

She wasn't from winter, that was obvious.

"Let me get this going first," he said. "Hand me that?" He gestured to the wood.

She knelt down to pick up one of the birch logs, handing it to him.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Jack," he said. He debated momentarily saying more… but decided to leave it at that. He didn't feel like being Prince Jackson Overland Frost I at the moment. Not that he ever did. "You?"

"I'm Rapunzel."

Rapunzel.

Jack's hands still, and he looked up at her again.

It was a fairly common name in Spring. It had been even before King Thomas and Queen Primrose had chosen it for their daughter. There was no reason to think…

But for some reason, he was thinking it.

As the birch logs caught, there was enough light for Jack to make out the girl's delicate features, and wide green eyes that looked at him with child like naïveté. He would pin her age between sixteen and eighteen, but he was sure she wasn't any older.

"Can you hand me one more log?" he asked.

While she did, Jack opened his backpack and pulled out the sack that held his supplies. He never left the palace without provisions for a couple days, since he never knew when he would end up going off on his own. There were a few strips of dried meat, half a loaf of bread, a hunk of cheese, and some dried fruit. Several bottles of water were deeper in his bag. He had already opened one earlier, but he pulled one out for his companion.

"So why are you here?" he asked. "Did you get lost?"

When she didn't respond, he looked up from his pack to see she had averted her eyes, and was wringing a lock of hair in her hands. Very long hair, he noted, but didn't follow it to see just how long it was.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Her expression was a very obvious "no", but she didn't give it voice.

"I'd rather not talk about it," she said.

Jack frowned again. Something about this whole situation was off, but he didn't press. She still had the frying pan at her feet. As he looked at her, though, he noticed she was shivering slightly, even though she now sat in front of the fire. Her dress was long sleeved, but it obviously wouldn't hold up against a blizzard.

Jack shrugged out of his cloak and held it out to her. "Here."

"Oh, no, I—"

"Please don't say you're fine," he said, pressing the cloak towards her again.

She accepted hesitantly. "What about you?"

"I have chivalry to keep me warm," he said, laughing when she looked confused. "The cold doesn't bother me."

The dark blue fabric wrapped around her like a blanket, everything except her face vanishing. She immediately seemed to relax into the thick fabric. She buried her nose in the white fur at the collar and inhaled deeply.

Jack quirked an eyebrow, but didn't comment.

"Why don't you get cold?" she asked.

Jack shrugged, holding some of the food out to her.

Her hands appeared from inside the cloak and accepted the piece of bread, the strip of meat, and the handful of dried fruit. "Thank you."

While she focused on the food, he took the chance to look her over again. Her golden hair, and lightly tanned skin.

"you're not from Winter, are you?" It was obvious, but he was trying to get answers without setting her on edge.

"I've lived here all my life," she said, as though that answered the question. "As long as I can remember, anyway."

"What about your parents?"

She thought about that as she chewed on a piece of fruit. "Mother never told me where she was from."

"And your father?"

"I don't have a father," she said. Not in a "something happened to my father" way, but in a way that implied she believed there had not been a man involved in her life at any point.

Somehow, saying that was impossible felt as though it would shatter her innocence, even if he didn't go into detail.

"You look as though you're from Spring," he said.

Rapunzel cocked her head to the side. "Why do you say that?"

"Your hair, mostly," he said, looking at the golden locks that vanished under the cloak.

For some reason, that seemed to make her nervous, and she tried to shrink further into the blue fabric.

True, golden blonde hair wasn't exclusive to Spring. It occurred in all the kingdoms, save for a few smaller ones like Punjam Hy Loo, where everyone had black hair. But something about her screamed "Spring" to him, and her hair stood out more than anything.

"So, where are you headed?" he asked, since her ethnicity wasn't getting them anywhere.

Again, she hesitated. But this time, he was able to read her expression.

"You don't know," he guessed, leaning back against the cave wall.

Rapunzel bit her lip, turning the piece of bread over in her hands.

"I was going to offer you escort," he said. "Looks like you need more then that."

"I'll figure it out," she said, a little too quickly.

Jack barely refrained from a sarcastic "uh-huh".

"You're in the middle of the woods, in the cold season, and you have nowhere to go?" That seemed terribly naïve.

She didn't meet his eyes.

"And no supplies," he said, not looking away from her. "You realize I can't just leave you here, right?"

"Why not?" It wasn't a challenge – it was a genuine question.

"Because my conscience would never let me live it down," he said. It was the simple answer. "No offense, but you won't last a week out here on your own. Not in the cold season."

She pulled her cloak tighter, her expression truly miserable.

Jack sighed. "Let's get some sleep. We can figure it out in the morning."

"Okay," she said, the word muffled by the fur of his cloak.

He pulled the bedroll from his backpack and spread it out by the fire. "I'll trade you. You can use the bedroll if I can have my cloak back."

She seemed reluctant to part with the cloak, but she handed it back as she took off her boots and climbed into the bed roll.

Jack stayed against the cave wall, holding off sleep a while longer.

Outside the wind continued to howl, snowflakes tossed ruthlessly outside. The fire held off the worst of the cold.

Rapunzel lay with her back toward him, but he still waited until she was absolutely sure she was asleep.

He hoped he was wrong. He hoped that sensation in his chest earlier wasn't what he thought. But he braced himself as he unbuckled his jacket. With a deep, nervous breath, he pulled back the collars of the two shirts he wore underneath.

He hadn't been wrong.

The glow was subtle, but it was very much there. Soft purple light under his skin, radiating from his heart.

He looked at Rapunzel, wondering if there was some way this was a mistake.

Probably not.

She shifted in her sleep, wrapping the bedroll righter around her petite frame.

Jack rubbed his forehead as he sighed.

This was bad.

This was bad on so many levels.


	3. Chapter 2

**At the end of the last chapter, I accidentally wrote "this was back"… instead of "this was bad". It has now been fixed. But seriously – that's almost as bad as when I wrote "blook" instead of "blood" in "Among The Stars"!**

**When I was writing "Among The Stars" I really tried to aim for chapters that were 3,000 plus words – and I know several people said they liked that. But with this story, I'm not concerning myself with chapter length too much, so some of them might be below 3k. But don't worry – I won't post ridiculously short chapters!**

Chapter 2

The wind was still howling when Rapunzel woke up; though it did seem to be lighter outside. Even if only a little. The first had died down to embers, cold seeping back into the cave. It was the cold that had woken her up, the bed roll only doing so much as the temperature dropped.

Her companion was still asleep, curled up next to the wall where he had been sitting. He was wrapped up in his dark blue cloak, and it was impossible to tell the difference between the fur and his tousled white hair.

All her mother's stories about men with pointy teeth came rushing back, though she had done her best to ignore them the night before. She had watched him while he talked, and she hadn't seen any fangs.

And he didn't _seem_ dangerous.

She wrapped the blanket tighter, trying to cling to what warmth it offered. Though that was quickly fading.

Much as she wanted to stay curled under the blanket – preferably to go back to sleep so she didn't have to think anymore – she found she wanted warmth more than anything else.

Bracing herself for the cold, she slid out of the bedroll and half crawled over to the fire. It didn't take much persuasion to revive the flames. Of course, which her tower had been mostly shielded from the storms of Winter, it hadn't been shielded from the cold, so she had plenty of practice with flames.

Just not when she didn't have matches to start it.

As warmth spread through the cave again, Rapunzel looked over at Jack. In his sleep, his expression has softened, making him look years young. Of course, he was the first male she had ever seen, so she didn't know much about their appearances. Something about his face appealed to her, though. She found she didn't want to look away from the angles of his cheekbones, or the way his bangs brushed his forehead, just over his dark eyebrows.

Her heart surged in her chest, the same what it had the night before, when he had come into the cave. It took her breath away, as though she had just run up the stairs – but she didn't know why.

When she finally tore her eyes from his face, she looked around the cave.

For the first time in her eighteen years, she didn't know what to do with herself.

At home she had her rhythm and routine. She started cleaning as soon as she woke up. But even she knew that trying to clean the cave would be ridiculous, even if she had the tools to do so. She had no books to read, no walls to paint…

This must be boredom, she realized.

There had been times when she had gotten tired of her options in her tower, and she had thought she was bored. But this – absolutely nothing to do except think – was true boredom.

She didn't know how much time passed before Jack stirred.

Rapunzel looked over just in time to see his blue, blue eyes open part way. Her heart skipped an inexplicable beat as their gazes met – his blurry with sleep. It took a moment for him to focus… then his eyes opened fully for a moment.

Before he groaned and pulled his cloak over his head.

Her stomach clenched. She had next to no experience with social cues, but she was pretty sure that wasn't good. And it made her nervous, wondering what was going to happen next.

"Um… are you okay?" she asked carefully, peering at him around the fire.

Whatever he said was too muffled for her to make out.

Biting her lip, she wondered if she should say something else. Or maybe she should ask again? He might be sick. He was closer to the entrance than she was. What if he had caught a cold?

Several minutes passed while she chewed her lip, staring at the lump under the blue cloak. The lump didn't look at all like a person.

Finally, Jack's face appeared from under the cloak, still bleary, and not entirely focused. When he blinked, he seemed to struggle to open his eyes again.

"Rapunzel, right?" he asked.

She nodded. "Uh-huh."

He grunted something. "I am not a morning person. There's food in my bag. Just let me sleep a little longer.

"O-okay."

He vanished back under the cloak.

She tried to be quiet as she opened his pack and pulled out the sack of food that sat on the top. The bread was slightly stale, but she was just glad to have something to eat.

In the tower she had never been without three meals a day, and her stomach didn't seem to understand that things had changed.

"Leave me some," he said, his voice slurred.

"Of course!" she had only taken a piece of the bread and some of the dried fruit.

Wrapping herself back up in the bedroll again, she thought as she ate, trying not to look at Jack.

What if he changed his mind about escorting her wherever she decided to go?

She had set out yesterday on her own, but she had quickly realized that that hadn't been a good idea. But what choice had there been? She couldn't have stayed in the tower.

Outside, the blizzard still raged.

She couldn't go back. And she didn't know where she _could_ go. If Jack didn't help her… well, then she would be lost.

She had finished her food, and become thoroughly engrossed in her thoughts, by the time Jack sat up.

"Mornings," he muttered, rubbing his eyes as the cloak fell away. "Mornings are so overrated."

Mother wouldn't like him, she thought, since he mumbled so much.

"I've always loved morning," she admitted, looking down at her hands in her lap. "It's the start of a new day."

"Spring," he said. You're definitely from Spring." He took a deep breath and let it out through his nose as he looked around the cave. His eyes lingered on the blizzard outside for a long moment before he finally looked at her.

She didn't know how to read the look in his eyes. Almost as though she were a puzzle he was trying to solve. But with something else that was completely foreign to her.

After a minute he looked away and picked up the sack of food. "So, do you have somewhere to go?"

When she didn't answer right away, he looked over. Under his blue gaze she still didn't know what to say, so she shook her head.

"And I still can't ask about your mother?"

She shook her head… then hesitated. "I'm not sure she was really my mother."

That was something she had been forced to acknowledge as she sat with the fire and her thoughts. She had tried not to, ever since the night before last. Had tried to pretend she hadn't heard what she heard… but she wasn't that good at pretending.

Jack chewed on a piece of apricot as he sat back on the floor. "You're one big riddle, Rapunzel."

"I always thought she was," she said, since it seemed like she needed to answer some of his questions. And because a part of her found she needed to talk about it. To get it out before the words tore her apart. "She told me she was. But I found out that was a lie."

"So you ran out?"

"I didn't have time to plan. If she found me trying to leave…" Rapunzel hugged her knees to her chest.

Jack was quiet for a moment. "Well, you're obviously from Spring. Maybe that's where we should take you."

She wasn't sure what to think about that suggestion. Spring seemed… It seemed so far away. So out of reach. But when he suggested it, it seemed to strike a cord inside her, and it felt right. Jack didn't sound especially enthusiastic about it, though.

Slowly, she nodded. "Okay."

He took his time chewing his next bite, eyes out of focus as he thought.

"I can't cross the Spring border, and I'm not going to just hand you over to the guards there," he said. "We'll have to go through Autumn, and over the pass. This time of year there shouldn't be too many Summer guards."

"Why can't you cross the Spring border?" she asked.

"Long story." With his bread crust held between his teeth, Jack reached into his pack and pulled out a map.

Rapunzel felt a thrill of excitement as he spread the map out on the floor. She had always wanted a map, to see exactly how the four kingdoms were laid out. To see where some of landmarks she had read about were in relation to each other. But that was one thing Mother had never let her have.

Curiosity get the best of her, and she came around the fire to look over his shoulder at the black lines that made up the map.

It showed the four kingdoms, as well as the smaller ones nestled between the borders. Among the printed lines and neat labels were marks that Jack had obviously made.

"We're here," he said, pointing to one of his marks. He had marked the cave, she realized. "If the storm let up soon, we can keep going south and—"

"It that the Lunar River?" she asked suddenly, leaning forward (practically pushing him over), to point to the river lines.

"Oof." He sat up straight, forcing her back a little. But she just shifted so she could lean forward without affecting him.

She traced the line with a finger, until she found the name. "I didn't know that the Lunar River ran through Winter."

"It's _only_ in Winter," he said. "It ends at Star Lake."

Rapunzel inhaled, feeling a sudden surge of excitement. "Can we go see Star Lake?"

"It's almost four days out of our way," he said.

"Oh." She sank back.

"And there aren't enough places we could stay in between," he said.

"Oh," she repeated.

He looked at her for a moment, before the corner of his mouth twitched up in a small smile. And he laughed a little when he shook his head. "It's not impressive this time of year, anyway. But trust me, there'll be plenty to see where we're going."

"I'm sorry I interrupted," she said. Mother had always hated it when she interrupted.

"It's okay," he said. "You clearly don't get out much, though."

She was going to say "not at all", but just shook her head.

He went back to the map. "The inn is just about ten or fifteen miles south. We can reach it in a few hours, and I can send a message to Hiccup. We can get a horse there and ride to the border tomorrow. Though it might take a couple days with this weather."

His finger traced a path that wasn't actually on the map, so she had to take his word for it.

"If we have to there's an old wood cutter's cabin we can sleep in tomorrow night. That will give time for Hiccup to meet us at the border. We can stay the night with him before we start over the pass." Now his imaginary path went over the mountains that divided Autumn from Summer. He hesitated part way through, though. "We'll have to go through Punjam Hy Loo to stay out of Summer."

"You can't go to Summer?" she asked.

"I'm pretty sure Queen Merida still wants to kill me for something or other," he said, frowning, without looking up from the map. "It's only been two months. Queen Mother Toothiana doesn't want to kill me – I just have to make sure her guards don't try to. If we see her, maybe I can get her to talk to Merida about that, too. It was all a big misunderstanding."

"What was?"

"Long story," he said.

"Does anyone like you?" Rapunzel asked, quirking an eyebrow as she looked over at him.

"No many," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. "If we make it through Punjam Hy Loo, it's just two day's ride to Corona City. Even if we can't find a place for you there, we can find information."

"How long will it take?"

"A week and a half, weather permitting." He looked out at the blizzard and frowned again. "Maybe two."

Rapunzel looked over at the storm as well, and the snow that continued to fall.

"A couple more hours, and the storm should blow itself out."

"How can you tell?" It looked the same to her.

Jack smirked. "Call it a gift."

Something about his expression caused her stomach to flip inside her. A new, but not entirely unpleasant sensation.

#

Just as Jack predicted, a few hours later the storm ended so suddenly she was struck by the quiet that descended in the space of a heartbeat. Just hadn't realized just how loud the wind was until it was gone.

Jack stood up, pouring some of his water on the fire to quench it, and Rapunzel rose as well. She was wrapped once more in the blue cloak, but while Jack started to pack up his things, she worked on gathering her hair up to make sure it wasn't snagged on anything.

"Hang on. Is that all… _your hair_?"

She looked up at him. "Yes?"

He was staring at it all, his eyes wide as he went over it again and again. "How did I miss… how long is it?"

"Seventy-five feet," she said.

Jack crouched down, picking up a thick handful of the strands. She bit her lip as he touched it, feeling uncomfortable. Though he wasn't doing anything other than weighing it in his hands.

"Seventy-five feet of hair." He rubbed his forehead. "This is going to make things difficult."

"Why?"

He looked up at her. "Because it's seventy-five feet of hair. It's going to get in the way."

"No it won't," she said. "I'm used to it."

"Used to it." He didn't sound as though he believed her. But he ran a hand through his again and sighed. "Okay. We'll work around it."

While Jack packed up the bedroll, along with everything else, and broke up the fire pit, she was wrapped up in the cloak once more. She buried her nose in the fur lining and inhaled deeply. It smiled like pine trees, peppermint sugar, and something spice she couldn't name. But she loved the smell.

"Come on," he said, swinging his backpack on. "I don't want to risk getting caught in another storm."

"Do you need your cloak?"

He shook his head. "You need it more."

She found a way to wrap it around her and keep the hem off the ground so it wouldn't impede her steps. Following Jack out of the cave, she blinked as she stepped out into a world of white.

The ground was covered in a gently rippling blanket of white, all the tree branches covered in snow. Even the clouds were a grayish white, hanging low in the atmosphere.

She looked back at the cave briefly before following Jack. The area right outside the cave mouth was mostly bare of snow, having been protected by the canopy of the cedar trees. But just beyond that, the drifts rose sharply up nearly two feet.

Rapunzel lifted her foot to put it on the snow, but when she put it down it went straight through the white stuff. She cried out in surprise as she feel down, her center of gravity thrown off.

Jack spun back. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry." Her face burned bright red in embarrassment. "I… Sorry."

He didn't seem at all disconcerted by the fact the snow was almost up to his calves.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself out of the snow and adjusted the cloak around her shoulders.

It did not help that Jack was so obviously amused. "You've never walked through snow, have you?"

She had never walked through _anything_, but she didn't want to admit that.

"You okay?" he asked after a moment.

"I'm fine," she said, brushing snow off the cloak.

Jack waited a moment before he started to walk again.

Rapunzel huffed. She was not going to be defeated by snow, of all things. Now prepared with the knowledge that it would give under her weight, she took another step.

She sank in almost up to her knee.

"Walk in my footsteps," Jack said over his shoulder. "It'll be easier."

On her next step, she set her foot inside the hole his larger foot had already made. The snow still came almost to her knee, but it didn't sink, having already been packed down by Jack's weight. She aimed for his next footprint, which was several inches further than her usual stride.

"Do you have to take steps?" she asked, after struggling for a few feet.

He actually laughed… but she noticed that he started taking smaller steps. She was able to pick up her pace until she was just a couple feet behind him, eyes glued to the ground to follow his trail.

"You're like my sister," he said, laughing again.

Rapunzel glanced up from his tracks. "You have a sister?"

He nodded. "Emma. She'll be fourteen next month." He sighed. "And if I miss her debut ball, she will kill me."

Rapunzel wasn't sure what a "debut" was, But decided not to ask.

"Do you have any other siblings?" she asked. She had always wanted siblings. Wanted someone to keep her company in the long, lonely hours.

"An older brother," he said. "Nightlight. He's the responsible one."

"Is he anything like you?" she asked.

"We both have white hair. But otherwise we're totally different. It's amazing we get along, considering all the trouble I cause him."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Not being where I'm supposed to be, going where I'm not supposed to go… I'm usually right, but the council doesn't like admitting that."

"Council?"

When he glanced back over his shoulder, she realized that question had probably been a display of her ignorance, and she wished she hadn't asked it.

A moment or two passed before he answered, during which Rapunzel berated herself.

"The Winter High Council," he said at last.

She still had no idea what that meant. But decided to keep that to herself this time.


	4. Chapter 3

**A shorter chapter… because I kind of got stuck. **

Chapter 3

Rapunzel couldn't deny that she was slightly in awe of the way Jack moved. Not only the fact that moving through the deep snow didn't seem to bother him in the least. But his strength was mixed with a grace that she found she wanted to watch. Whenever they reached a decline in the ground, he didn't even seem to step. He used the sliding snow to his advantage to glide down.

Admittedly, that made it harder for her, since there were no steps for her to follow. And sliding down as he did was definitely beyond her ability.

She braced herself as she took her first step down the slope.

"Do you want some help?" Jack asked. He had come to a full stop and turned back while he waited for her again. She couldn't tell if there was any annoyance or condescension in the offer. But it still didn't make her feel better.

"No," she said.

She took the first step, and cried out in surprise as her foot slid down even as it slid deep into the snow.

"You sure?" he asked. Maybe he wasn't annoyed at the delay, but he was obviously amused.

Which also did not make her feel better.

She shook her head.

Her ears rang with memories of her mother telling her she would never be able to survive outside the tower – never be able to handle herself.

Rapunzel was determined to prove to herself, and to everyone else, that that wasn't true.

"Do you want some advice?" Jack asked, when her second step was much like the first, only without the "eep" of surprise.

She looked over at him reluctantly. "Yes, please."

He grinned. "Relax. The snow is going to move. If you're more relaxed, you can move with it. And don't step straight down – let your foot slide over the snow."

He made it sound so easy.

Taking a deep breath, Rapunzel willed her muscles to relax. Though the thought of another step into the shifting snow made her want to do the exact opposite. Still, what he said made sense.

Once she had relaxed as much as she could, she took another step.

As he had said, the snow still moved. But with her muscles relaxed, it was easier to shift her center of balance and let the sliding snow carry her down. She knew she lacked his grace, but it was considerably easier.

As the bottom of the incline she stumbled trying to get her feet back under her. But Jack placed a hand on her arm to steady her.

"See?" He grinned, hand still on her shoulder. "Not that hard. With practice, you'll get the hang of it."

Her heart stuttered at the touch, so she barely registered the words. No one had ever touched her except for her mother. And she didn't know why it felt so different. Just that it did. And she kind of liked it. She glowed under his grin, too.

"Thank you," she said.

"No problem." His hand returned to his side. "Let's keep moving. It'[s a few more hours to the inn."

"I thought that's what you said when we left the cave," Rapunzel said, trying to keep her disappointment from showing. Her muscles were already aching from their journey so far, and she had reassured herself that they were getting closer.

Jack had already started moving again, but he paused to look back. "I normally move faster."

Her heart sank a little. Both at the fact their walk would keep going, and at the thought of slowing him down.

After a moment, she took a deep breath and forced herself to keep moving.

For a while longer she was able to ignore her sore muscles to keep up the pace Jack set. But after a while, she found it becoming harder and harder to do so. She pushed herself to keep going, but eventually she found she couldn't push when she didn't have anything more to give.

Her steps started to falter, and she occasionally missed the tracks he left. She huffed every time her foot sank into untouched snow. The sound caused Jack to glance back, but she did her best not to show how much she was struggling.

And she succeeded… right up until the point her foot sank into the snow _again_, and she lost her balance. The next moment she found herself sitting in the snow.

Jack stopped and turned back.

"I'm sorry," she said, trying to get up. But her legs trembled and refused to take her weight.

Jack came over and crouched down next to her. "We can take a break, but let's get under one of the trees."

She didn't _want_ to take a break, but it looked as though she needed to. She accepted his hand and let him help her up. He rested his other hand on her back, guiding her under the branches of a massive pine tree whose branches extended more than ten feet in any direction. The snow tapered off under the branches, until they were walking on packed dirt and pine needles.

"Isn't it dangerous around trees when it snows?" she asked.

"That's only a problem when the snow is a lot higher," Jack said, leading her over to the tree's thick trunk. He sighed as he slid his pack off, rolling his shoulders.

Rapunzel sank to the ground, relief flooding through all her muscles.

"If you needed a break, you could have just said so," Jack said, crouching next to her once more.

"You said there might be another storm," she said. "I don't want to slow us down."

He frowned. "Sure, but we're going to have bigger problems if you wear yourself out."

Her cheeks were already bright red from the cold, so thankfully he couldn't see her embarrassed blush.

He shook his head. "Sorry. I should have thought of it."

She wasn't sure if that should make her feel better. She was coming to the conclusion that falling behind, and slowing him down, were not her style. More than anything, if frustrated her. It didn't matter that she had no experience walking long distances.

Opening his backpack, Jack handed her the last chunk of bread.

"Just take it," he said, before she had a chance to argue. "You need your strength."

"And you don't?"

He gave her a "don't argue with me" look. Not cruel – but not one she felt like challenging.

Sighing, Rapunzel accepted the bread.

While she ate, Jack clambered up the tree. Rapunzel tilted her head back to watch in wonder at how easily he pulled himself up among the branches. Tree climbing was something she had always wanted to try. She had looked out the window of her tower at the trees, but they had been completely out of reach.

A ways up, Jack crouched on one branch, perfectly balanced. She glanced up several times, but he didn't seem to move at all – like some kind of bird of prey taking in everything.

She was just finishing off the bread when he came back down, dropping down beside her easily.

"We need to keep moving," he said, gathering his things. "Another storm is brewing."

"Are we going to make it to the inn?" she asked.

He nodded, holding out a hand to help her off the ground. "It's a ways off. I just want to make sure we beat it."

As they stepped out from under the boughs of the pine tree, Rapunzel looked up at the sky.

Yesterday, she had seen the storm coming in the form of dark clouds so low they seemed within reach, and the wind had picked up. Now, the cloud layer was heavy, but not nearly as dark. And there was only a small breeze. If there was a storm brewing, she couldn't detect it.

#

The storm wouldn't hit until evening – the late afternoon at the earliest. Several hours off, at least. But Jack wanted to make sure they were out of the cold before the wind picked up, since this one would probably be stronger. At the rate they were moving, that was still up in the air.

On his own, he alternated between walking and running. The inn was three or four hours from the cave that way.

Walking the whole way, trudging through the snow, took a lot more time. Which meant there was too much time and space to think. At a time when he would have loved a break from his thoughts – and everything that he knew needed his attention.

This time of year was generally his favorite. The cold season meant only the most basic relations with Spring, if any at all. And only a few imports with Summer, though Merida was never interested in creating trouble where there wasn't any. (He got the impression that running her kingdom over whelmed her enough that she didn't care what the others did, unless it was something unforgivable. His personal actions were another matter.)

There were social events at the palace – some he was required to attend. But for the most part, his time was his own. That meant there was little he had to worry about. Nothing that affected all four kingdoms, certainly; so he could take a break from the politics he so despised.

As tensions mounted between the kingdoms, he had been looking forward to this cold season. For the break from his duties.

This was the exact opposite.

His soul mate.

The girl walking behind him was his soul mate.

He glanced back, as he had been doing every few minutes, to make sure she was doing all right. She was obviously tired, but she kept moving without complaint.

All things considered, Jack was impressed at her perseverance. For someone who had never walked through snow before that morning, she was doing admirably.

Looking forward again, Jack's mouth pursed as he tried to fit things together.

Nightlight had met Katherine when he was seven, and she had been three or four. Their marriage was currently just waiting for her to come of age. Jack couldn't remember a time before the glow of his brother's heart.

When Jack had reached sixteen with no sign of a glow from his own heart, he had become convinced it was never going to happen. And he had been fine with that. Where in his life did he have time for a soul mate, anyway? It was one more responsibility that would drag at him, along with all the others that already chafed at him.

It had been naïve to be so convinced – people had tried to convince him of that. He was still young. And he was somewhat anti-social, especially when it came to people of the female persuasion.

Most people at court experienced it at young ages because they met everyone else in the court while they were children. There had been plenty of speculation as to what his soul mate would ultimately be, since it obviously wasn't one of the women at court. A commoner? Someone from one of the neighboring kingdoms? (He was pretty sure there was a common theory that it would be someone from Autumn, which would help further cement the treaty between them.)

Still, it seemed unreal that it had actually happened.

But all the questions it raised were all convinced by one conviction.

He couldn't shake the belief that she was Spring's Lost Princess. He had tried to brush it off… but he was fairly certain. Something about her just screamed at him that she was. He needed a second opinion, but for now he was operating under the assumption she was.

And he couldn't think of a single way that this situation could have been worse.

Thomas had never forgiven his childish comment. And it was all coming back to bite him now. He just knew it.

Why couldn't he have been one of the rare people who didn't have a soul mate? He was perfectly content being single. He knew people who _wanted_ a lover. But he wasn't one of them. And if he had to have one, why _wasn't_ it someone from Autumn? (Someone from the Winter Court was beyond him. He was very grateful being spared from that.)

Still…

The sound of snow crunching under her feet caused him to look back just in time to see her huff in frustration. She blew her hair off her face (all that hair!), pursed her mouth and went back to following his tracks. He grinned a little at the expression. At the child like determination written all over her.

She was cute, he had to admit. Her face was beautiful, but her personality was cute.

If he was wrong, and she wasn't the Lost Princess…

That wasn't a good path to let his thoughts wander down. He wasn't sure why it seemed dangerous just to think about, but it did.

All of this was too much for him to process.

He needed someone else to talk to. Nightlight was an odd combination of responsibility and romanticism, so that was less than ideal. He _wanted_ to talk to Hiccup,. But that wasn't an option for at least two more days. So for now, he was stuck trying to figure things out on his own.

That _was_ dangerous. He never did well trying to figure important things off on his own. It was why no one trusted him with himself.

He glanced back, sighing in frustration.

And now he was entrusted with her.

How was he supposed to handle all of this?


	5. Chapter 4

**Sorry this took so long! As predicted, life got in the way as soon as I went back to work. XP It's another short one, but please bear with me. We're getting somewhere, I promise.**

**Oh, well. On with the show!**

Chapter 4

Jack had never tried to hold off a blizzard – he was pretty sure he would fail, and the wind would just laugh at his efforts. But he was thinking about trying it. He might have to. The cloud overhead were gathering ominously, while the temperature edged closer and closer to freezing. The wind had started to pick up, too.

Rapunzel still hadn't complained, but he knew she was struggling. Her steps faltered more and more, and her cute huff of frustration had faded with exhaustion. If he had the energy, he would have offered to carry her. Though he doubted she would accept.

The first few flakes of snow started to drift down from the clouds, tumbling lazily to the ground. Jack looked up at the sky. For now, the blizzard was still just a promise. But it was a promise that would be kept.

He took a deep breath through his nose, cold air stinging its way into his lungs. Was there time?

As if in answer, when he looked straight ahead, he saw the break in the trees where timber had been stripped away to make room for the road. It was an offshoot of the king's road, but still one of the most frequently used. Especially by him.

"Do you want some good news?" he asked, glancing back.

Rapunzel looked up, her green eyes tired as she nodded.

"We're almost there," he said. "Less than half an hour." That was actually an exaggeration – but he preferred to overestimate, for her sake.

He was rewarded by the light that returned to her eyes as some of her exhaustion faded away.

"Really?" she asked.

He nodded. "Want even better news?"

"Yes."

He stopped at the edge of the trees, and waited for her to catch up with him. Looked over just as she did, he saw her face light up further as she looked at the packed gravel road in front of them.

"We don't have to walk through any more snow," he said.

It was such a simple thing, really. But her expression said she might have started dancing for joy if she weren't so tired. As it was, he thought she might start crying in relief.

He touched her shoulder gently. "Come on. We still have to beat the storm."

"Okay."

They stepped out of the snow, and onto the solid road. Jack couldn't deny he was grateful to be off the snow. Normally he moved quickly enough that he didn't notice, but the slower pace felt like more of a work out than his usual trek. On his shoulders, his backpack was not getting any lighter, despite the fact they had gone through most of the water already.

Rapunzel now walked beside him.

The pace was still slower than when he was alone. But it was a little faster now that walking was easier.

The inn came into view around the trees less than fifteen minutes later. It was a two story building, made up of wood and stone. It might have qualified as large, if Jack hadn't grown up in the palace. It was nowhere near as grand, but it was clean and well maintained. As they got closer, Jack could see a faint glow from some of the windows. Behind the main building he could see the edge of the stables.

Several lanterns hung in front of the inn, guiding travelers to the front door.

"Is that it?" Rapunzel asked.

"That's it."

She stared at it in wide eyed wonder, as though she had never seen anything like it. He could see her curiosity and excitement mounting as they got closer.

They turned off the road, up the shoveled path that lead to the door.

As soon as he opened the door, warm air washed over them, carrying the smells of smoke, wood polish and some kind of food that would probably taste really good. Especially since he had given Rapunzel most of the food, and was now starving.

He could already feel eyes on them from the tables on one side of the room – the inhabitants looking to see who was coming in. Rapunzel stepped closer to him nervously, pulling his cloak tighter around her small frame.

"It's okay," he assured, ushering her inside a step ahead of him so he could close the door. Preferably before someone yelled at him to do so.

It didn't look as though she believed him.

A fire crackled in the massive hearth to their right, filling the room with warmth, and contributing the smoky smell. Tables took up almost half the room, though only a handful were occupied at that moment. He didn't blame Rapunzel for being nervous about the people who occupied those tables, though. They were all burly mountain men, travelers, and soldiers, who had either gotten caught in the storm, or had just come in for a hot meal. They all excelled at looking intimidating.

Jack cringed as he saw two Winter soldiers in one corner, watching him more intently than anyone else. He could just imagine the report they were going to send back to his father…

This was one of Jack's frequent stops, because it was conveniently located, and it was a good place to gather information. At that moment, he could wish that the regulars weren't so familiar with him, though.

"The young prince has finally found a girl!" someone called. He didn't see who.

"Shut up!" Jack called back, killing the cheer that had started from somewhere in the back. He was furious to feel heat rising in his cheeks.

Rapunzel's face was bright red as she wrapped the cloak even tighter around her shoulders.

"Welcome back," another man called, without teasing in his voice.

"Yeah, thanks," Jack muttered. He was very aware of the soldiers watching him.

He touched Rapunzel's shoulder through his cloak, doing his best to keep the touch innocent. No point adding fuel to a fire. Because there were going to be plenty of rumors, he just knew it. The way Rapunzel stood so close to him couldn't be helping.

"Come on."

She didn't move. "You're the prince?"

His gut shifted uncomfortably. Now was not a good time of place for that conversation.

"A prince," he said. "I'm the younger brother, so the title is just kind of a door prize for showing up."

Thankfully that was enough of an answer that she moved when he pressed her shoulder lightly with his palm, guiding her over to the desk on the other side of the common room.

"Why don't you sit down and rest?" he suggested, nodding toward an arm chair in the nearest corner. Close enough he could keep an eye on her, but far enough that he would have space to breathe. It wasn't that he minded having her next to him – he just needed to get things sorted out. And he was pretty sure someone was going to confront him at any moment.

Rapunzel looked at the chair, and for a moment he thought she was going to say no. But after a moment she nodded. "Okay."

He went over with her, dropping his backpack onto the floor by her feet as she sat down. He exhaled, his shoulders throbbing in relief at the loss of his burden. His whole body started to relax. Though that met he started to feel every ache in every single, tired muscle of his body.

"Will you keep an eye on that?"

She was focused on gathering up her hair, which was wet, and heavy with snow. "Sure."

As he returned to the desk, he glanced over at the soldiers to be sure they weren't converging on him of Rapunzel. He wasn't ready to deal with their questions.

They hadn't risen from their table. Yet.

Finally the door to the kitchen opened, and Marian Bennett came out, brushing flour off her apron. She was a surprisingly slight woman, considering she ran an inn frequented by men almost twice her size. Her brown hair was pulled back in a bun, her round face friendly and open. Most of her clientele behaved if only out of respect for her. The few that didn't were handled by those who were more than willing to help. Her husband had passed away a few years earlier, but she managed to maintain the inn and raise her two children with good humor and skill.

When she saw Jack she smiled, but didn't cutesy. It had taken Jack almost a year to make her stop with the formalities. "Jack. I had a feeling you would turn up any day."

He tried to grin, but found he couldn't quite muster the expression. His head was too cluttered with a flurry of thoughts he could no longer hold at bay.

She must have seen something of that in his face. "Is something wrong?"

Without thinking, Jack looked over at where Rapunzel sat in the corner. Marian glanced over as well.

"I may have bitten off more than I can chew," Jack admitted, looking back at Marian.

Her expression was concerned as she looked back and forth between him and the blonde. "Can I help?"

Jack rubbed his forehead. Was there any way to arrange this that wouldn't cause problems, and more rumors? If there was, he couldn't see it. "I need two adjoined rooms, two meals, paper, and a pen. Tomorrow I'll need a horse, and a messenger bird I can send to Autumn."

"To Chief Haddock?"

He nodded.

Marian arched her brow. "Is that all?"

"Let's start with that." He smiled ruefully. He was sure there would be more once his brain was thinking straight.

"Jamie will be glad you're here," Marian said, clearly trying to cheer her uyp.

And she succeeded.

Jack grinned. "Where is he, anyway?"

Marian's son, Jamie, was usually in the dining room at dinner time, pretending the serve, but really listening to the stories the men told. Especially soldiers. The boy was determined to join the Winter guard as soon as he was old enough.

"He and Sophie are working on chores," she smiled. "I'm sure he'll sense you're here and show up soon enough, though.,"

He paid her a few of the silver coins he had grabbed from his backpack, and she gave him three keys. One for each of the two rooms, the third for the door that adjoined them.

"Do you want the food brought to the rooms?" Marian asked.

"That would be great. Can I have some paper?" he needed to write at least two letters, sooner rather than later.

Pen and parchment in hand, he returned to Rapunzel. "Our rooms are upstairs. Once we're there, we're done for the day."

"Your Highness."

Jack cringed. He had forgotten to check that the soldiers were still at their table. And he hadn't noticed their approaching footsteps. Rapunzel looked nervously over his shoulder, and back to him.

Taking a deep breath, and letting to out, Jack turned to the soldiers, in their dark blue uniforms, with black and silver accents. "Yes?"

"May we be of assistance?" one asked. Though the way he looked at Rapunzel suggested that the question he wanted to ask was: "What are you doing?"

_You can leave to alone_, was what Jack wanted to say. But he forced himself not to. All those hours in the woods, why hadn't he thought up a good explanation for just this situation? He didn't want to lie, but he didn't want to tell them his suspicions, either. So he dodged the question all together.

"Are you returning to the palace tomorrow?"

"Yes, sir," the spokesman said. "Unless you have anything you need us to do."

"I need a letter delivered to my brother," he said. "At needs to reach him as soon as possible." _Before you report to my father._ Nightlight would probably lecture him if he could, but he would also know the best way to phrase things to their father to avoid any serious problems.

"Of course," the soldier nodded.

"Thanks." Reaching down, he grabbed one of his backpacks straps, and lead Rapunzel toward the staircase at the back of the room.

#

Jack kicked off his boots, and sighed in relief as he collapsed back onto the bed in his room.

Outside the wind howled as the blizzard arrived with a vengeance. Snowflakes were tossed to and fro outside his window, but he didn't see it behind his closed eyes. It probably wouldn't snow as much as it had the night before. More likely it would just be a lot of wind. If his senses were right, it would blow itself out hours before dawn.

After that, hopefully there wouldn't be another blizzard until he and Rapunzel had crossed the Autumn border. Autumn's cold season occasionally saw snow, but it was usually mild.

Rapunzel was currently in her own room, the adjoining door still locked. He had given her the key, so she could control any access he had to her room. It had seemed like the only noble way to handle the situation. Her expression had become strange as he handed her the key, though he couldn't begin to guess what had been going through her head. She had stared at it in wonder. She obviously knew what it was, but she seemed surprised to be holding on.

That was something else he would have to figure out later.

He could hear water running through the pipes in the wall, and he could vaguely hear it splashing into the tub on the other side. She was probably taking a bath – not that he blamed her. He was still wating for his body to warm up, even though the air was comfortably warm inside the inn.

All Jack wanted to do was sleep. Cold caves were hardly the best place for a good night's sleep, and he'd been forced to wake up early the day before to attend the border negotiations. The long walk hadn't helped. But he should probably get work down before he allowed himself to rest.

That meant three letters had to be written. One of which had to offer some kind of decent explanation to appease Nightlight. Just what he would say, he wasn't sure yet. But he would have to think of something.

He would need to write Emma, letting her know that he would be gone for a couple weeks. She always insisted that she let her know, saying it was her right as his sister, or something like that.

Compared to bother of those, the letter to Hiccup would be easier. Not _easy_. He still had to give a good explanation as to why his friend should drop all his chiefing duties to meet him at the border. But it would be easier.


	6. Chapter 5

_**Flower, gleam and glow…**_

Chapter 5

Jack had a nightmare.

His eyes snapped open, consciousness returning like a lightning strike. Already the images in his mind were hazy and out of reach. Not that he was trying to focus on them. The last thing he wanted was to dwell on the dream. He had more than enough of them burned into his memory. The more he forgot, the happier he would be.

He took a deep breath as he stared into the darkness of his room, refilling his lungs. Trying to still his shivering body.

It was a dream, he told himself. Whatever it had been, it was just a dream. It hadn't even been that bad – he remembered that much. He just hadn't enjoyed it. At all.

His heart pulsed, and he looked down at the steady purple glow in his bare chest.

Great. The empathy was already starting. Nightlight and Hiccup had both told him that the empathetic connection with their soul mate hadn't stared for at least a few years, so he had thought he wouldn't have to worry about it for now.

The sudden impulse to check on Rapunzel – to make sure his nightmare hadn't bothered her – hit him with a strength he hadn't expected. He had started the push back the blankets of his bed, before he realized what he was doing and stopped himself.

He forced himself to lay back, draping a forearm over his eyes as he took another deep breath.

Earlier that evening, when she had come into his room to eat after her bath, he had expected her to say… something. The glow grew stronger the closer you got to your soul mate, but the wall between them wasn't enough to diminish it completely. He knew, because he had checked while writing his letters. Several times. Partially in hopes that he had been dreaming the night before. Obviously not.

Something had obviously been bothering her when she came in. But she had said she was fine, and not made a single reference to their connection.

That surprised him, since Rapunzel didn't strike him as the type to brush off finding her soul mate. He wasn't sure what he had expected her reaction to be, but he had expected a reaction. His ego was taking it as a personal blow, wondering if her silence meant she was disappointed.

And he hadn't mentioned it either – instead asking her flurry of questions as to what it was like to be a prince. She seemed to have processed that information while she was in the bath, and then wanted to know all about it.

Maybe he should have said something. It wasn't that he was brushing it off, really. He just didn't know what to say. Especially because of all the politics that complicated the situation. If it weren't for that… well, he wouldn't have had a problem with the whole thing if it weren't for politics. In that case, maybe he would have known what to say.

Whatever the case, he was not going to check on her. That would be… he wasn't sure what it would be. Though the word "improper" certainly resounded through his mind.

He exhaled, forcing himself to relax. This whole thing was proving to be every bit as confusing as he had expected.

A glance at the window – an attempt to distract himself – proved that dawn was a few hours off, and the storm had blown itself out. Just as he had predicted. It was still snowing, the soft white flakes slowly drifting down. But it was nothing that would prevent them from leaving as soon as they were ready. After yesterday, he wasn't optimistic that they would make it to the border that day. But they would still be moving faster on horseback than on foot.

Brushing off those thoughts, he decided that he could sleep a few more hours. Rapunzel would probably sleep in after yesterday's trek.

Just as he was drifting off, something snapped him back to reality. It took a moment for him to register the sound of a commotion coming from downstairs. Someone called out, the words obscured, followed by the sound of feet pounding down the stairs.

This time there was no hesitation as he pushed back the blankets and rolled out of bed. He pulled open the door without pausing to grab a shirt, and giving it no second thought. He ran down the hall and the stairs, arriving in the now crowded commons area. Everyone else seemed have had the same idea and come out to investigate.

A few of the lamps had been left on, but not enough to illuminate the scene clearly. Still, it only took him a moment to spot the problem, following the most pointed calls to their source.

Three men in royal guard uniforms. Not the same ones who had been there the night before. One of them lay on the wooden floor, bleeding heavily from his side. The red liquid pooled on the wooden floor, and Jack's fist clenched as he yanked his eyes away. People called out for hot water and alcohol to clean the wound, or for someone to run and get the local doctor. It didn't as though anything were actually being done, though.

On the other side of the room he saw Marian ushering her children back towards their rooms.

Over the din, he barely heard Rapunzel call his name, but he felt her come up behind him. He looked over just as she reached the step about him She started to move forward, but he held up an arm to stop her.

"Go back upstairs," he said. He was fairly certain she had probably never seen this kind of blood in her sheltered life, and he wasn't keen on her seeing it now. He _wanted_ to say that everything would be fine. But he was pretty sure that would be a lie, considering how much blood there was.

Her eyes, he realized, were fixed on the injured guard. Her expression was distraught, and he braced himself to catch her if the blood caused her to faint. Instead, her expression turned resolute as she met his eyes,

"I can help him," she said.

Jack started to protest, though not sure what he was going to say. Her expression was so sincere he almost believed her. But the practical part of his mind asked what she could do. This wasn't a small injury.

She must have read in his face that he was going to stop her. Mouth pressed in a determined line, she pushed his arm away before he could respond, and she ran down the last few steps.

Rapunzel murmured "excuse me" a few times as she pushed through the people gathered around the injured guard. Jack followed her wake, a few people stepping aside when they recognized him.

When Rapunzel reached the injured man, she ignored his companions as she knelt down beside him. One of the guards started to step toward her, but noticed Jack.

"Your Highness—"

Jack waved the man off. Whatever he wanted to say would have to wait. In that moment, all he was concerned with was Rapunzel, and trying to figure out what she was going to do.

She picked up a thick rope of her hair… and he saw her hesitate for a heartbeat, debate raging across her face. He thought he caught a glimpse of fear as she bit her lower lip. He started to take a step closer, but before he could make any other move, her face screwed up with determination and she pressed her hair against the man's bleeding side. Jack was going to say something (and starting to wonder if she was crazy. But when one of the guards started to protest, he still waved the man off.

In the back of his mind, something was trying to make its way to the front. The way was blocked with too many thoughts about the current situation. But the thought promised it was important, if he would just focus on it. At the moment, though, he didn't have the ability to do so. All his attention was for her.

Without looking up, Rapunzel took a deep breath, closed her eyes… and start to sing. So softly he couldn't hear the words, even standing just a few feet behind her. All he could hear was the haunting melody that sent a shiver up his spine.

As if in response to the song, golden lights started at her scalp, growing brighter as it spilled through her hair like a river of liquid sunlight. Jack's breath caught in the back of his throat – and once more that little thought nagged at him, but he pushed it aside. The injured guard visibly relaxed when the light reached the hair pressed against his side.

The song was short, and the light ended as soon as she stopped.

Silence had fallen over the room, all eyes locked on the small blonde, waiting to see what came next…

When she pulled her hair back, the guard's injury was gone. There was no sign of blood, either on him, the floor, or Rapunzel's hair. She rocked back on her heels, looking down at the guard as his eyes flickered open.

"What… happened?" he asked.

Rapunzel smiled.

For a moment, no one spoke, not sure how to answer that question.

Jack didn't know either, but he stepped closer to Rapunzel, finally reaching her side as she rose to her feet. The spell of stunned silence started to end, and Jack's instinct was to whisk her back upstairs before the questions could start. He had an arm around her shoulders, and was turning away to do just that. She didn't resist.

Before he could move, once of the guards stepped closer, his expression drawn and serious. "Your Highness."

Jack frowned, looking over at the man. Rapunzel pressed closer in him, and he wasn't sure if it was that, or the empathy, that told him she was afraid. His arm tightened around her shoulders.

He didn't miss the guard's eyes widen as he looked at Jack's chest, over at the Rapunzel, and then off to the side.

Suddenly, Jack really wished he had grabbed a shirt to cover his glowing heart before he had come downstairs. But the thought hadn't occurred to him at the time.

There was a murmur as several people finally noticed the glow, now that the excitement of the situation was over. No one said anything out loud, thankfully.

The formerly injured guard was on his feet, assuring his other companion that he had never felt better.

The guard who had addressed Jack cleared his through, and pulled something from his pocket. "We… we were told to give you this."

He was obviously reluctant as he held the folded piece of paper out to Jack.

Frowning, Jack took the parchment, not knowing what to expect. An order from his father to come home at one? Obviously not, since it wasn't sealed with the royal crest. But he didn't know what else it could be.

When he unfolded the note, and saw the short message, he _wished_ it were a summons from his father. Because this was worse. So much worse. He felt the blood drain from his face.

"Jack?" Rapunzel asked softly.

"What happened?" he asked, through clenched teeth as he looked back at the pale faced guard. Beside him he felt Rapunzel tense, but couldn't spare a thought to worry about it.

"We were attacked on the road," the guard said. "At first we thought it was bandits – there's been reports of them all up and down the main roads. But they gave us that, and told us to deliver it to you. I—Forgive me, Your Highness, but I did take the liberty of looking at it, since it wasn't sealed."

"It's fine," Jack said, brushing off the apology. "But you didn't see him?"

"No, Sir. So it may be—"

Jack knew how that sentence was going to end. "It may be a false alarm." It was what everyone wanted to believe.

But he shook his head. "No. It's his handwriting."

He crumpled up the note, trying to quell the fear and anger rising inside of him. "Do they know I'm here?"

The guard shook his head. "I don't believe so, Your Highness."

"Which way did they go?"

"Deeper into the woods, towards Spring," he said.

Jack looked at Rapunzel, at her so obviously Spring features. She stared back at him in confusion.

This whole thing just kept getting worse.

"We can send a party—" the guard started.

"No," Jack said, shaking his head. "That's too risky. Come with me."

Once more he wrapped an arm around Rapunzel's shoulder, guiding her back towards the stairs. He was excessively grateful that she still didn't resist. The guards followed a few paces behind, and everyone else stepped aside to allow them to pass.

The guards from earlier peeled out of the crowd and followed as well. They were out of uniform, but obviously ready for duty.

"Jack?" Rapunzel asked, when they were on the stairs.

"I'll explain later," he whispered, since all five guards were right behind them.

When they reached their rooms, he nodded toward her door.

For a moment she hesitated, but nodded before vanishing into her room.

Jack went into his own room, grabbing tow of the three letters that sat on the desk, completed and addressed. Returning to the guards, he addressed the one with the highest rank – the one he had spoken with the day before.

"Deliver this to my brother, and this to my sister. And this…" he sighed as he smoothed out the note, refolded it, and handed it to the guard. Doing so meant the guards would have to report to his father. He had hoped to just give the letter to Nightlight, and his brother could tell their parents that he was off on one of his crazy adventures. "Deliver this to my father. Tell him what happened, and that I believe it's from him. I would know that handwriting anywhere."

"What about her?" the guard asked quietly, nodding toward Rapunzel's room.

His lowered voice, so she wouldn't hear, would have been appreciated. But Jack had already heard the adjoining door open slightly, so he knew she was listening. Not that it changed the fact he was struggling to find the right answer.

He couldn't ask them to lie to his father. That would just create more trouble for everyone. As if they didn't already have more than enough of that to go around.

"I… I have to take her home," he said. "Personally." Especially now. He looked at the note in the guard's hand, taking a deep breath.

He realized the guard was trying very hard not to look at Jack's heart pointedly.

"Just… tell my father I've gone to see Chief Haddock in Autumn. There's some things I need to figure out. Try to speak with my brother first. He'll be able to help."

To his surprise, the guard gave an understanding nod. "We'll leave as soon as we're ready."

"Thank you," Jack said. "Stay safe."

"You as well, Your highness. Are you sure you wouldn't like a guard to accompany you?"

Very sure. The last thing he wanted was a guard. "No, thank you."

The guards bowed, and headed back downstairs to prepare for their own journey. Leaving Jack to prepare for his. Closing the door, he rubbed his forehead as he leaned back against the cool wood. His mind spun to try and catch up.

Unlike his hazy nightmare, the note was burned into his mind's eye with crystal clarity. And it kept swimming to the front of his mind – eclipsing whatever thought was still trying to make it to the forefront of his mind.

The emblem of the Pitchiner House was the stuff of his personal nightmares. Nothing good ever came of that image showing up in his life. And the single sentence – four simple words – promised that this time would be no exception.

_The peace is over._


	7. Chapter 6

**Umm… I'm really, really sorry? I had no idea it had been so long since I updated! I've been super busy lately, not to mention tired and unmotivated… So, yeah… **

**I don't do much research for… well… anything. But I specifically checked out a book on arctic birds for this chapter. So, everything about the gyrfalcon is accurate.**

Chapter 6

Rapunzel wasn't sure how she knew that Jack was afraid. His expression remained drawn and serious as he moved around his room, gathering up the few items that had gotten scattered in the short time they had been there.

But somehow she knew: He was terrified.

She had felt it from the moment he read the note the guard had handed him.

For now, all her own concerns were forgotten.

"Jack?"

He looked up from his backpack. "Yeah?"

She hugged herself a little tighter as she stood in the doorway between their rooms. "Are you okay?"

The answer was obviously "no". But she didn't know how else to ask.

She half expected him to brush her off, or say that everything was find. That was how her mother had reacted every time Rapunzel had asked a question the woman didn't want to answer.

But his expression didn't harden, the way she expected. Instead, the edges softened, though he still looked wary.

"No, it's not," he admitted. "I thought we had time, but everything's changed."

"What do you mean?"

He ran a hand through his already messy white hair, clearly trying to think of the right way to answer. "The cold season is usually the one time of year that peace is guaranteed. No one wants to fight each other and the elements at the same time. But something's changed, and the war is going to start again. Soon."

"Why?"

She knew what war was. The concept, at least. It was a lot of people fighting… but she didn't fully understand how or why it was fought. She had asked her mother, but Gothel had rolled her eyes and said something that effectively put an end to the conversation.

Jack looked at her intently, his blue eyes searching her face… and for some reason, she got the sudden feeling that the answer was: "Because of you."

He didn't say it. But she heard the words in her head, resounding through her mind. A shiver shot down her spine.

She almost missed Jack's answer.

"I'm not sure yet," he said, adding something else to the backpack before he stood up straight.

Picking up the backpack, he brought it over to her. "I have to go talk to Marian. Pack your things in here, and we'll leave at first light."

"Okay." She took the backpack and carried it over to the bed in her own room.

"Lock your door," he said. "I'll be back in a few minutes." On his way out, he grabbed the last letter from the desk.

When Marian had found out that Rapunzel had next to nothing, she had brought up a nightgown, a warmer dress, a hair brush, and a few other personal items. Rapunzel hadn't known how to thank her. The dress was a little big, but that hardly mattered. It was more suited for the journey than the purple one Rapunzel had made for her sheltered life in the tower.

She did feel slightly guilty as she slid her feet back into her mother's boots. Since she had never been allowed out of her tower, there had never been a reason for her to have shoes of her own. When she had left, she had had the sense to grad Gothel's boots from where they had sat by the fireplace. After yesterday's hike, she was glad she had.

There was just enough space for her things in her backpack, and it took only a few moments to get them packed. She did think about throwing away her dress from the tower, wanting to get rid of the reminder. But that seemed wasteful, so she put it in as well.

With that done, she looked around the room in search for something to do. Returning the backpack to Jack's room, she made his bed (since the messy blankets bothered her a little), and tidied up what little there was in both impersonal rooms. If she hadn't been so tired the night before, she would have found it hard to sleep in the bare-walled rooms. In her mind, she found herself thinking about what she would paint on them, if she could.

She walked around her small room again, searching for anything that might had been missed.

As she passed the small window, something outside caught her eye, and she paused to look out.

Jack was just coming out of the stables, and perched on his arm was a gyrfalcon. A female, judging by the size.

Rapunzel tilted her head to the side as she watched him tie the letter to the falcon's leg.

As soon as the letter was in place, the falcon spread her speckled white wings to their full, four foot span. Jack had to tilt his head back to avoid getting smacked with the fathers as she flapped, and took off from his arm.

They both watched as the messenger rose into the air, arcing above the inn. She circled through the cloudy sky twice, before she turned toward the southwest. Towards Autumn, if Rapunzel remembered Jack's map correctly.

After a moment, when the falcon was almost out of sight, Jack bought his gaze back down from the sky, and turned back into the inn.

The sky grew steadily brighter, though the sun was mostly hidden behind the clouds. She looked at the clouds, trying to determine whether or not there would be another blizzard. It didn't appear as though there would be, she thought. But she had thought the same thing, when Jack had predicted yesterday's storm.

Jack's door opened a few minutes later, carrying a tray of food, which he set down on the desk. The smell wafted over her, and her mouth began to water. She hadn't realized just how hungry she was until that moment.

"Here." He held one of the bowls out to her.

She accepted the steaming bowl of oatmeal, mixed with raisins and nuts.

"When do we leave?" she asked, blowing on a small spoonful.

Jack swallowed a bite of his own, his nose scrunching up in distaste. "I hate oatmeal," he muttered, before turning back to her. "As soon as you finish eating."

She sat down in the armchair, focusing on her food while Jack unfolded the map and spread it out on the bed. After a moment he paused and looked over at her.

"Did you make the bed?"

She nodded.

He grinned a little, despite the worry that was still obvious in every line of his face. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she said, smiling as well. It was nice to have her work acknowledged. Her mother rarely ever said anything, since she said it was Rapunzel's job.

"Jack?" she asked, after a few bites. (She didn't have a problem with oatmeal, and this was better than even she could make.)

"Yeah?" he didn't look up.

"If you're a prince, why do you spend so much time in caves and inns?" she asked. "Why not stay in the palace?"

"Because I get restless," he said, folding the map back up. "And the council likes when I'm out of the way. They'll never admit it, since I usually cause them trouble when I'm gone. But when I'm there, they ignore me anyway."

"But you're the prince."

"_A_ prince," he corrected her. He returned the map to his backpack, and shrugged into a dark blue jacket that was lined with black fur. "My brother is the heir, and he's already engaged, so he'll have an heir in a few years. Even if he doesn't, and something happens to me, my sister is better suited for the throne, anyway. They're all convinced she'll marry an upper nobleman, too."

"You don't think so?" she asked, going off the tone of his voice.

"It's possible," Jack shrugged. "But I know my sister. Her soul mate will probably be a stable boy or something. A guard, if the council is lucky."

Rapunzel was about to ask what a "soul mate" was. But something about the way he said it, she knew that would show just how ignorant she was. Maybe it was a political term?

"But it won't come to that," Jack went on. "So I'm just the younger prince, and no one knows what to do with me."

"That's sad."

"Frustrating is the word I use," he said, smiling dryly. He finished off his breakfast, and set the bowl on the bedside table. "It's part of why I don't spend more time at home."

Rapunzel looked down into her oatmeal, which was mostly gone. She still thought it was sad, for some reason. Her mother had turned out to be… But Rapunzel had never felt unwanted in the tower. The exact opposite, really.

"Hey." 

She looked up, meeting Jack's vivid blue eyes.

"It's not that bad," he said, smiling a little. "I love my family. It's the council I have problems with. But I would rather be out here anyway." His grin turned playful. "Besides. I wouldn't have found you if I had been holed up in the palace."

"I guess that's true."

She focused on finishing her breakfast, since the conversation made her feel slightly out of her depth. "Family" felt foreign to her. Even growing up with a woman who claimed to be her mother, that felt different from a family with two parents and multiple siblings.

When she was done eating, she set her bowl aside and stood up, hearing Jack coming around the bed towards her.

Before she could look over at him, she heard the snap of blue fabric, and her vision was momentarily filled with dark blue. She squeaked in surprise, and felt the fabric settle around her shoulders. The cloak, she realized, as the white fur tickled her jaw.

She looked up at Jack, who chuckled as he tied the cloak around her shoulders. Her cheeks warmed, as she realized he was only inches away from her. In her chest, her heart fluttered, in a way she had never felt before. A warm, pleasant shiver shot down her spine. Jack watched his own fingers as he tied the cloak, and she suddenly wished that he would meet her eyes.

When he did, however, she felt as though all the air had been pulled from her lungs, and she had forgotten how to breath.

If Jack was affected, he didn't show it. He still grinned.

"W-won't you need it?" she asked. Though she suspected his answer would be the same as every other time she had asked.

"I'll be fine," he said – just as expected. He pushed a stray lock of hair off her forehead. "Come on. I don't want to travel after dark."

There it was again. Something inside her shuddered with a fear that she somehow knew was his. Was he afraid of the dark? Or did it had to do with the note? If she were braver, she would have asked.

As it was, Jack was already moving again. Grabbing the backpack, he slung it over his shoulders.

They left the inn trough a backdoor, heading for the stables. The yard had been cleared of snow, so the ground was a trampled mix of mud and dry grass, save for the stone path that they followed. A boy of about fifteen waited for them at the door of the stables, holding the reins of a white stallion that pawed the ground impatiently.

Rapunzel stared at the horse, faltering a step behind Jack. It was larger than she had expected. And it's brown eyes made it clear that it had a mind of its own.

"Thanks, Jamie," Jack said, taking the reins.

The boy nodded. "My mom filled the saddle bags with supplies. It's probably more than you'll need."

"Better safe than sorry," Jack said, stroking the horse's nose. It seemed to have calmed down a little as soon as Jack took it's reigns, and it nuzzled into his hand.

"Yeah, but it's only a day's ride to the border," Jamie said.

Jack glanced at Rapunzel, and she felt suddenly self conscious. Even on horseback, she would slow him down, she realized. Jamie looked over as well, which didn't help. His brown eyes were appraising, as though he were trying to figure her out.

Was it so obvious that she was different?

"We'll probably reach the border tomorrow," Jack said. "We'll have to stop to let the horse rest. I'll have one of the border patrols bring him back."

"Okay." Jamie nodded.

Something about the conversation suggested that it had happened before.

Jack exhaled, running a hand over the horse's dappled neck. "Tell your mom I said thanks. When I get back, we can talk about you staring guard training next thaw. I'm sorry I didn't have time last night."

"I know I can do it," Jamie said quickly, standing up a little straighter. "I just need a noble's support to enter the royal guard, since I don't want to join the reserves."

"Like I said, we'll talk about it when I come back." Getting one foot into the stirrup, Jack swung into the saddle with a single, fluid motion.

"Okay," Jamie said, though he sounded a little disappointed. "Stay safe, Jack."

"You, too," Jack said. "Look after your mom and Sophie."

Before Jamie could ask the question obviously burning on his tongue, Jack looked at Rapunzel again.

Jamie knelt down, forming his hands into a step for her, while Jack held one of her hands to help her maintain balance. Her mounting was nowhere near as graceful as Jack's – she knew that much. She barely got her leg up over the horse's back, and she ended up half on the backpack tied behind the saddle. It took another minute or so to adjust her position, and get her hair and cloak arranged somewhat neatly.

When she finally stilled, Jack glanced back over his shoulder. He seemed to be fighting back a grin, and not doing very well at it.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded, feeling a bizarre mix of nervous and excited. She had always wanted to ride a horse, but never thought she would actually have a chance.

Jack tapped his heels against the horse's sides, and it didn't need to be told twise. Tossing his head, the hose took off down the path at a brisk walk. Rapunzel gripped the folds of Jack's jacket as she adjusted to the movement.

"It'll be easier if you grip with your knees," Jack said, touching her knee with a fingertip for emphasis. "That way, even if I fall, you won't."

It took several minutes for her to adjust to the sensation of riding.

"Can I ask a question?"

They had reached the road, which was mostly cleared of snow. It was the same road they had walked the night before, though they were now going in the opposite direction.

"Sure."

"Do you not want Jamie to join the guard?" she asked. There had been some reluctance in his tone – just enough for her to pick up on, but not enough for her to interpret.

Jack glanced over his shoulder, and she saw that her question surprised him. He looked forward again quickly, but it took another moment for him to answer.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "His mom needs him more than he realizes. And he romanticizes the guard."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not as glamorous as people think," he said. "But what happened to that guard last night, the one you healed… that's not unusual. If it's not war, it's bandits. Or it's…" he trailed off, and she could almost feel him decide not to say whatever had come to mind. "It's a dangerous, and it's more work than anything."

"You don't think he can do it?"

"He probably can. I just want to make sure he knows what he's getting into." Jack exhaled. "I'll probably say yes."

Rapunzel lapsed into thought. She wasn't entirely sure what the royal guard was, though she thought it was fairly clear just from the title.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked after a while.

"Hmm?"

"I can practically feel you thinking," he said. "Is everything okay?"

She considered the question for a moment, trying to find the proper words to express the myriad thoughts swirling through her mind.

"The world is a lot more complicated than I thought," she admitted finally.

Jack chuckled darkly. "You have no idea, Rapunzel."


End file.
